Bursting pipes still an issue for many during frigid temperatures

CINCINNATI, OH (FOX19) -

On
Third Street between Race and Vine in downtown Cincinnati, icicles are falling
from the second floor onto the sidewalk. Employees in the building say it's due
to pipes bursting. They've even had to close the sidewalk to keep people safe.

It's
an issue the Greater Cincinnati Water Works is dealing with as well. On Tuesday,
they had 62 leaks and five water main breaks. It is a problem that isn't going
away any time soon.

Jeff
Pieper with Greater Cincinnati Water Works says the city hasn't seen this many
water main issues due to weather conditions since 2007.

"We've seen a
definite uptick in the number of breaks we've experienced in our system over
the last week or so. This second cold wave seems to have made a little bit of a
difference and we are getting busy," says Pieper.

Pieper
says due to freezing temperatures for longer periods of time, the city's
infrastructure buried more than three feet underground is being affected.

"As the water
temperature drops, it causes the temperature of the pipe that is holding the
water to change. As the temperature changes, the pipes expand and contract and
they can break. It just slows things down a little bit. Generally, we can get
done in 6-8 hours. Sometimes it takes a little bit longer this time of year
between the ice and just the fact that the employees have to be out in the
freezing weather," says Pieper.

It is a problem that may not be solved until warmer
weather arrives. While the city
continues to fight the freeze, homeowners can also do their part to help.

"What they can do
though is keep their pipes in their homes from freezing and that will help us
because we won't get calls to help citizens with individual burst pipes in
their home. We can concentrate more on our underground infrastructure," says
Pieper.